Fish Light Or Fish Heavy

[flatiemad]

Only my second post,

I am new to fishing and must say I am becoming a little addicted, anyway I have been reading and researching as much as possible and all that I have learnt suggests tha it is best to fish as light as the conditions allow. Last night went for a quick fish with some cousins, we go down to woronora next to a bridge, a very tight spot and really on caters for 1-2 fisherman at one time (there were 5 of us there). My cousin brings out 2 rods one had 80lb braid, 40lb leader with a snapper sinker the size of a brick and he's other set up was similar. He was taking the piss out of my set up which is a 2-4kg flick rod, 10lb braid and 4lb leader.

We were bait fishing using the same bait, however he's spot was allowing him to bet closer to structure (the pylons of the bridge), he ended up landing a 40cm bream and 2 just on legal, I didnt even get a bite.

My question, I am assuming that it was the place he was able to cast rather than the setup ? am I right or have I got it all wrong...

[Flightmanager]

80Lb braid for bream? Thats like towing a box trailer with a Kenworth ! Unless you are targeting fish that can exert that much pull on the line ,lighter is the way to go . I would recommend about 6lb braid , with 8-10lb fluoro leader. Unless there is a strong current running , keep your weight to a minimum. Remember , big hooks catch big fish , but small hooks catch all fish !!

I would suggest that your cousin was very lucky , probably picking the spot better on the day.

Ross

[flatiemad]

Thanks Ross thats what I thought, there were too many of us for the spot we were at so the rest of us were casting out into no mans land. thanks for the tips on the line..

[idolz]

HEE HEE........, I take people out in my boat with my rods, the bait I bought, my berley, the exact same rigs,,,,,they catch all the fish and I catch bugger all......

[cameldownunder]

Light is better ...

... as long as you get to the bottom, if you fish for the bottom fish, that is.

The thinner the line, the less weight you need. I use Platypus Super-100 which have the best weight/diameter factor.

Also a light tip rod, gives you better indication if there is something out there, and if they are nibbling.

A trick I use when fishing for bream is, once bait and sinker are in water, that I pull the line between the first -seen from the reel- and second ring, and put a plastic ring that I can close.

When something is biting, it can take the slack with almost no weight, and by the time the line is out, you're good to strike.

The rig of your cousin has the "advantage" that it can collect all the other lines out there in 1 go, and everyone is so scared of getting tangled with his line, that they cast miles away from him.

In the past i used 2 of those rigs at Clifton Gardens, to delimit 'my fishing space'

[tumra]

HEE HEE........, I take people out in my boat with my rods, the bait I bought, my berley, the exact same rigs,,,,,they catch all the fish and I catch bugger all......

and then they tell you they are a better fisherman than you are right...

[Yeeros]

and then they tell you they are a better fisherman than you are right...

I see people using much heavier line than me getting busted off left right and centre. I here people saying the get busted off by bonnies, what the????

I have landed 3 kilo bonnies on 6lb line.

Mate go lighter, 6lb line and fish still shallow water for some amazing results. You'll learn to fight fish properly as well, just make sure to set your drag right and use a good leader. I like fluro in 10-12lb.

After a while when you start pulling 40cm bream consistently fron 1m of water on 6lb line. as your starting off i'll give you some more advice, pick a species and stick to it till you get them worked out.

[flatiemad]

I see people using much heavier line than me getting busted off left right and centre. I here people saying the get busted off by bonnies, what the????

I have landed 3 kilo bonnies on 6lb line.

Mate go lighter, 6lb line and fish still shallow water for some amazing results. You'll learn to fight fish properly as well, just make sure to set your drag right and use a good leader. I like fluro in 10-12lb.

After a while when you start pulling 40cm bream consistently fron 1m of water on 6lb line. as your starting off i'll give you some more advice, pick a species and stick to it till you get them worked out.

You know thats excactly what I'm doing although I am focusing on 2 types at the moment, bream and flathead... good advice thanks.

[hamerz84]

HEE HEE........, I take people out in my boat with my rods, the bait I bought, my berley, the exact same rigs,,,,,they catch all the fish and I catch bugger all......

here here mate aint that a b!@#h lol. always seems to be the case with me aswell.

[brainfishingmad]

mate im the same as you. I am trying to master the art of bream luring, i have relized it relativly easy enough to catch flatties because as they say flatties will hit most lures.

the real challenge to me is the bream catching them on lures.

also with me i have got alot of my knowlidge from, yes wait for it, DVD's

and one of my favourites are from one of our sponsor's south coast fishing charters with scotty lyons and also

gary brown. its called THE JEWEL OF THE SOUTH covers pritty much everything for the beginner to understand

and get the idear.

[Longy]

light allows you to feel the nibbles and bites.

8lb or 10lb leader with the drag set right, you should be able to land every bream or flatties (as long as you play it right).

[Piss'n'Broke]

Follow Ross's advice and others, lighter will always get you more bites/strikes. And learn the patterns and techniques in regards to what your targetting, kings, jews, salmon, tailor, trevally, flathead, bream, etc.

Dan

[Davemmm]

I gather you are fishing next to the old road bridge near the shops at the wonny. I wouldnt go under 10lb mono there. The pilons of the bridge have been in the water for a long time and have a fair bit of growth on them. It is a good spot to fish for bream and winter blackfish but it is easy to get busted off on the barnacles so stick with mono as you will have a better resistance to abrassion than braid.

If your cousin persists in using heavy lead get him to cast out to the centre and you take the first pilon. If you can get in close to the structure you will get fish there.

If there are too many blokes fishing and you cant get near the bridge lose the sinker and float a bait closer to the shoreline. The rocks around there hold bream as well.

Dave

[industrial]

although lighter is better, i think that the main thing is still to have technique and skill

i have caught small timid bream and snapper on 25lb line and a huge surf rod in the estuaries

it is not all up to the "light line", it is more up to the skill and experience of the angler.

[IVZ350]

the lighter you go mate ya can actually feel the fish breath on it, its all about sensitivity, and with the power some 2000 or 2500 reels have these days ya can land anything really

[flatiemad]

Thanks to all that have responded some great advise

[ginko]

lighter...

but more important, your mate was casting the bait right next to structure. I walk past a breakwall every morning, and on the rising tide, the biiig bream are right up at the wall. I mean eating oysters etc off the wall, so literally you'd want to cast on the wall itself to get their attention. If your bait is several feet from a fish, I'm not sure they're too aware/care it's even there.

[A.dawg]

lighter...

but more important, your mate was casting the bait right next to structure. I walk past a breakwall every morning, and on the rising tide, the biiig bream are right up at the wall. I mean eating oysters etc off the wall, so literally you'd want to cast on the wall itself to get their attention. If your bait is several feet from a fish, I'm not sure they're too aware/care it's even there.

When the bream are pecking on stuff I find they do not eat anything.... At all which is really annoying...

But yea getting the bait where the fish are is important... And bream love structure